I made it official this morning. I have registered for my first marathon. I was up at 5:30 a.m. getting logged in the computer and waiting as the countdown timer ticked away. I was nervous. I hate bridges. This race has three of them. If that's not bad enough, I have to cross two of them twice. So, I will go over bridges five times over the course of the marathon. They are all over water. I have ran over a bridge in a race before. It was hard to breath. I had to remain focused. In the center of the lane. Thought my friend was crazy because he stopped to use the Port-o-Potty that was at the peak of the bridge, against the side of the bridge. I had to keep running and let him catch up with me later. I have walked across one of these bridges before. I had a full panic attack while doing so and wasn't sure I was going to make it. I don't really care to go back to that bridge. Guess I will be. The idea of 26.2 miles is frightening too. I have ran 14 half marathons and by the time the race happens I will have a total of 20-21 half marathons under my belt. But running double that...well, it is intimidating. So why am I doing?
Well, I am not doing it as a bucket list project. Although many people do and that's okay. I am doing it because I feel it is right. My loving husband and I talked often about whether I would ever run a marathon and we both said no. It's too hard on my body. I won't be able to handle the training. He didn't want to see me hobbling along dragging a leg for a month. I feel very led to do this. So, one day I prayed about it and chose to run an 18 miler with a friend who was training for her first marathon. We did a half marathon and then ran 5 more miles. We ended up with 18.22 that day. So, I prayed and said if I can do this 18 with her and still move the next day then I will do this. And so the training run happened, then I woke the next morning and hiked/ran 4 miles. I knew then God was ready for me to do this. He had already told me that though, I just needed to know for sure. The numbers are there.
You see this marathon is on Dec. 27th. It's my grandmother's birthday and one my best friend/like a sister's birthday. My grandmother was my mother. She raised me and my brother since I was about 5 years old. On race day, my grandmother will have been passed away for 13.1 years. Which you multiply by two (two of the dearest people to me share that birthday) and you get the distance I will run on race day. This wasn't enough for me. So, I said okay Lord if this is for real and there is a purpose in me going through with this marathon I need more. I need to know that I know that I know that this is what I need to do. And I thought this as I drove home. I tried everything to make something out of 90. You see if my grandmother was still living she would be 90 years young. 90. Nothing. 9. Nothing. I couldn't come up with it. I drove home. Sat in my recliner and relaxed. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.
How far is it from my house to the race? So, I pulled it up on the GPS on my phone. From my house to the parking lot of the race...45.0 miles. Multiplied by two and you get my 90 I needed. The mileage wasn't 45.1, or 44.9. It was 45.0 miles exactly. This race is going to happen. As long as it remains in God's will. And if it doesn't, it will be because God has another plan, but needs me to begin this process for Him to do what He wills.
GPS. I use it often to help me find my way on the road. GPS. I use it all the time to help me find my way in life. God's Plan of Salvation. The best GPS there ever could be.
